


Strings

by superwhowolflocked



Series: Inspired by Music [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Childhood Friends, First Kiss, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 02:05:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16904037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superwhowolflocked/pseuds/superwhowolflocked
Summary: I suck at summaries, so here's an excerpt!"Derek had been Stiles’ best friend for as long as he could remember. They’d grown up together, and even though Derek was three years older than him, Stiles had always felt on equal standing with the older boy. Well, once boy – now man. They’d only ever counted on each other, over everyone else, and even now, years later, as Stiles was less than a week from getting his diploma – and freaking out about it – the only person he wanted around to comfort him was Derek.





	Strings

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the song "I Don't Even Know Your Name" by Shawn Mendes. If you would like to listen to it, you can find my favorite version of it by copying the link below.
> 
> https://youtu.be/o9Z-0v67-tE
> 
> While this fic is based off of this song, it is not a song fic. No italicized lyrics will be found anywhere!
> 
> Big thanks to my sister for beta reading this for me! (but, we are both human so there are probably still several mistakes. If so, I'm sorry. Just let me know in the comments and I'll edit them!)
> 
> That's all for now!

Derek had been Stiles’ best friend for as long as he could remember. They’d grown up together, and even though Derek was three years older than him, Stiles had always felt on equal standing with the older boy. Well, once boy – now man. They’d only ever counted on each other, over everyone else, and even now, years later, as Stiles was less than a week from getting his diploma – and freaking out about it – the only person he wanted around to comfort him was Derek. 

“Three days until graduation. You ready?” Derek asked as he watched Stiles rummage through the pile of clothes on his closet floor.

“Were you?” Stiles retorted, not even bothering to look in Derek’s direction. “What about this? Too casual?” He held up a maroon button-down shirt with vertical and horizontal stripes and a pair of black dress pants.

“It’s very you,” Derek replied. 

“What the hell does that mean?” Stiles questioned, eyeing the shirt.

“It’ll be fine, Stiles. No one is even going to see it under your robe.” 

“I’m not going to be wearing the robe the whole time! And I wanna… look nice.” 

“Who are you trying to impress? High school is over. Who cares what they all think.” 

“I know, but I care about what you… I mean… I care about your opinion. You know, because you’re my best friend and I know you won’t lie to me,” Stiles stammered. His heart was pounding thanks to his slip up.

“No, but apparently you’ll lie to me,” Derek said with a smirk. 

“Damn werewolf senses,” Stiles said under his breath. 

“Those ‘werewolf senses’ include enhanced hearing. Stiles, what’s going on?” 

“Nothing!” Stiles replied too quickly, and Derek didn’t fail to notice the slight uptick of his heartbeat. “Really, it’s nothing. I’m just nervous about graduation, and having to give a speech. I’m just…. I don’t know. Stressed, I guess.”

“If it’s nothing, then why are you lying to me?” 

“I’m not!” Stiles lied again.

“You are!” Derek accused.

“Fine! I am. But it’s nothing. Really. Please just drop it…” 

“It’s obviously not nothing, but if you feel like you can’t tell me, I’ll leave it alone.” Stiles _knew_ Derek was trying to guilt trip him. He knew it, and yet, it was still working. “I’ve only known you your entire life… I thought you knew you could trust me with anything, but I guess I was wrong.” He was laying it on thick, sighing and throwing himself back on Stiles’ bed with a huff.

“Would you stop,” Stiles groaned in exasperation. Derek smiled at him and waggled his eyebrows, knowing victory was just around the corner. “Can you… um… can you tell me about when we first met?” 

“Sure? But why? You’ve heard this story thousands of times. My mom still gushes about it every time she sees us together.” 

“Yeah, I know, but I’ve never heard it from your perspective.” 

Derek wasn’t sure where Stiles was going with this, but it seemed important, so he indulged him. “Oh, um… Well, I don’t remember much about it. I was only three. But I do remember being super annoyed about having to go to the hospital to see a stinky baby, because it meant I was going to miss watching _Transformers_ for the day.” 

“Okay… alright… but, what about when you actually met me? Did you still think I was a ‘stinky baby?’” Stiles probed. 

“No,” Derek smiled fondly. “Well, at first I did. All the ladies in the room were gushing about how cute you were, but I thought you just looked like a potato. It wasn’t until my mom sat me down to hold you that… something changed,” he tried to explain.

“What do you mean, ‘something changed?’”

“I don’t know, Stiles. It’s hard to describe.” 

“Try?” 

There was something desperate in Stiles’ eyes that left Derek helpless to his pleading. “I was holding you and trying really hard not to move because I didn’t want to drop you. I remember feeling panicked because you started to squirm. I just wanted my mom to hurry up and finish taking pictures so I could go back to playing with my toy cars, but then you reached up and wrapped your hand around my finger, and I felt this… this spark, and I knew…”

“You knew what?” Stiles implored.

“That you were someone special. That you were always going to be a part of my life. That I would do anything to keep you safe.” 

Stiles nodded and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. Derek could see the gears turning behind his eyes, like he was attempting to solve some elaborate mystery that he was just on the verge of cracking.

“Do you want to know what my first memory is?” he blurted out a moment later, but he didn’t give Derek time to respond. “It’s of you, offering me your hand after I fell down out in the preserve and hurt my knee. I had been following you around while you were hunting for arrow heads or something like that and I tripped on a tree root. You held my hand for the rest of the time, until our moms called us back to the house.” 

“I don’t remember that,” Derek admitted.

“You’ve always been my… best friend, Derek,” Derek could hear the lie, once again, “and that’s why I’m lying to you. Because I’m worried if you know the truth, it will ruin our dynamic.”

“That’s crazy, Stiles. Nothing you say is going to change our relationship,” Derek affirmed.

Stiles laughed, but it wasn’t his usual happy laugh. It was bitter and slightly forced. “I didn’t say ‘relationship,’ I said dynamic, and believe me, I’ve gathered that ‘nothing will change our relationship.’” he echoed with harsh sarcasm. “It’s become blatantly clear over the years that no matter _what_ I say or do, our relationship will never be anything more than friends. It’s probably better this way, anyway,” he said the last part mostly to himself. 

“’More than friends?’” Derek echoed in confusion. “What are you talking about, Stiles?”

Stiles dropped his head dejectedly and shook it. When he looked back up, he was smiling, but more than anything, he looked sad. “Nothing, Derek,” he replied, and turned to leave the room.

Stiles’ words kept replaying themselves in Derek’s mind. _More than friends, more than friends, more than friends_. He couldn’t possibly mean…

Suddenly, Derek scrambled off the bed. “Wait,” he exclaimed, catching Stiles by the hand, causing the younger man to stare at him in shock. “Would you wait a second? You can’t just drop something like this on me and then run away.” For once, Stiles was silent, his eyes fixated on where Derek was still holding his hand. “You’re not the only one who’s lied,” he admitted. 

That caught Stiles attention and his eyes snapped forward. “What?” he asked in confusion. 

“I’ve lied, too.”

“Are you going to explain, or would you like me to start guessing?” Stiles snarked. Derek could tell it was a nervous defense mechanism. 

“When I was twelve and moved to the middle school, we didn’t get to see each other as much. I used to make up excuses to hang out with you more. I even had you come help me with my math homework, just so I could be around you.”

“Are you telling me I helped you with long division three nights a week for _a month_ , when I didn’t have to?!” Stiles accused, poking his finger against Derek’s chest. 

“Not entirely. I did need help… at first…” 

“You’re unbelievable!” Stiles declared, throwing his hands in the air and turning away from Derek. “but wait,” he continued, facing Derek once again. “When you were twelve… that’s right around when you started pushing me away,” he frowned. 

“Yeah,” Derek looked away, his shame apparent. “We were spending so much time together, and seeing you was always the best part of my day… Eventually, I realized what I was feeling for you was more than platonic.” 

“ _So you pushed me way_?!” Stiles was beyond annoyed with Derek’s answer.

“You were nine, Stiles, and I was twelve. Even though we’d known each other for most of our lives, and had always been close, I felt like a creep. So, I tried to distance myself from you, just a little at first, to see if my feelings would fade, but they only got worse.”

“Worse how?” Stiles questioned.

Derek didn’t immediately respond. Two minutes ago, he was trying to get Stiles to admit why he was lying, and here he was about to confess his deepest secrets, instead. He wasn’t sure when or how the conversation turned around on him, but he needed to know Stiles was ready to hear it, first.

“Are you sure you want me to continue. I don’t think either of us were expecting th…”

“What are you even talking about?!” Stiles blurted out, completely cutting Derek off. “Yes, absolutely I want you to continue! Now stop deflecting and answer the question! Worse how?!” he asked frantically.

“They became… deeper, more intense. I didn’t know what else to do, so I tried dating. But that clearly didn’t work, either.” 

“Is that why none of your relationships ever lasted longer than three months? I always thought it was because you were more of a ‘no strings attached’ kind of guy,” Stiles muttered.

Derek shook his head. “I’m not afraid of commitment, Stiles,” he said as he stepped in closer.

“W-well, that’s good.” Stiles audibly swallowed, his suddenly dry tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. “So, what changed. Why did you no longer feel like you had to keep me at a distance?” he asked 

Derek stepped away from him, and that was the exact opposite of what Stiles wanted him to do. It took all his will power not to draw him back in. Something about the look on his face, though, told Stiles it wasn’t the appropriate time. 

“Your mom got sick,” Derek whispered, “I didn’t know what was happening, at the time, but out of nowhere I felt like I was being swallowed whole by darkness. My mom came bursting into my room because she heard my heartbeat go haywire and my anxiety spike. She found me on the verge of a panic attack, but I had no idea why it was happening. We found out later that night about your mom, and apparently my mom connected the dots.” 

“Wait… I had my first panic attack when my dad told me about my mom. Are you telling me, you experienced _my_ panic attack?”

“It’s called a soul bond,” Derek explained.

“Like… mates?” 

“No, not exactly. Although, most mates are soul bonded, but it can happen with anyone. It’s usually only happens in supernatural beings, but there are some cases of human soul bonding, most commonly in twins.” 

“And me, apparently.” 

“Yes… but you aren’t entirely human, either. Your mother was a witch, and you have the spark of an emissary. It’s completely within reason for you to soul bond with a member of your pack.”

“You,” Derek nodded. “So, what does it mean? Do you feel all my emotions? Oh god! Can you tell when I’m masturbating?!” 

Derek laughed and shook his head. “Of course, your mind would go there,” he smirked. “No, I can’t tell when you masturbate. It just means… we’re connected… on an intimate level.” 

“But… I’m confused. What does my mom getting sick have to do with any of this?” 

“Well, after my mom confirmed her suspicions about us being soul bonded, I became more aware of when it was being activated. Out of nowhere, I would become overwhelmed with sadness, and I just knew it was because of you. Even though I was still struggling to get a handle on my feelings for you, and thought it better if I stayed away, all I really wanted to do was comfort you, and after so long...”

“That’s why you came knocking on my door that day,” Stiles provided for him. 

“You opened the door and stared at me and before I could even get one word of apology out for the way I’d been acting, your hold on your emotions crumbled and you collapsed into my chest and started crying. That’s when I knew, no matter how hard I tried, I’d never be able to keep myself from you. Our bond was too strong, and trying to fight it was only hurting us both.” 

“So, we’re soul bonded,” Stiles said, pacing his room and trying to wrap his head around the idea.

“Since the day you were born,’ Derek confirmed.

“But what does that _mean_?”

Derek groaned and ran his hands over his face in frustration. “It means when you’re feeling low, so am I. When you feel like all you want to do is get lost and leave the rest of the world behind, I want to be there with you. And when feel like wave are crashing over you and threatening to pull your feet from under you, I’ll be an unmovable force for you to hold on to. And you’re all that for me.”

“But that doesn’t mean we’re mates,” Stiles said, throwing his hands in the air in disbelief. 

Derek was aware Stiles wasn’t talking directly to him, but felt the need to respond anyway. “Not necessarily.”

“But I’m pack?” he asked, focusing his attention back on Derek. 

“What? Of course, you’re pack, Stiles.”

Stiles nodded and immediately felt the atmosphere in the room change. He started pacing again and began talking a mile a minute. “I’m sorry. I’m just having trouble processing this, because when this conversation started, I was all prepared, well not prepared, but had decided to finally tell you how I felt about you, and here you are, telling me _you’ve_ had feelings for _me_ since basically _forever_ , and that we are soul bonded, and that you’re not afraid of commitment, which is a freaking revelation after I’ve spent most of my life believing we could never possibly be together, because you’ve never been able to stay in a relationship for any extended amount of time, and there was no way I would possibly survive the heart break if I finally got you, only to lose you three months later because I–” 

“Stiles!” Derek interjected, grabbing the smaller man by the shoulders and forcing him to hold still. “Can I talk now?” 

“Yeah,” Stiles breathed. 

“You have me pegged as this guy who has never been able to hold down a relationship. Never wanting to stick it out or put in the time, but there’s a reason for that.”

“I’m listening.” 

“All those other people, they were just distractions, but you… you could never be…”

“A distraction?” Stiles asked skeptically. 

“Yeah, at least, not that kind of distraction,” Derek admitted with a chuckle. “You’ve had me hypnotized for as long as I can remember. All I want is to be by your side, Stiles. Every day, every night, however you’ll have me.”

“I – I could probably be down with that,” Stiles said with a meek smile playing on his lips. 

“Hey, do you want to know what I really think of your shirt?” Derek asked with a smile of his own.

“Um… sure?” Stiles replied nervously.

Derek leaned in so his lips were mere centimeters from Stiles’ ear, his hands still resting firmly on his shoulders. “I think it fits you perfectly.” Stiles heart started beating double time at the tone on Derek’s voice. “And when you wear it, all I can think about is how much I would enjoy ripping it off of you.”

Talk about a revelation! Stiles could hardly control his actions. All he wanted to do was throw himself at the man standing too close to him. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t do that until he knew, without a shadow of a doubt that Derek was in this. _Truly_ in this. Because, sure, he was saying all this stuff now, but that didn’t mean he intended it to be forever. And Stiles needed it to be forever. 

“Derek…” Stiles breathed, his hands now balled into fists at his sides. “If you mean that – God, you better mean that – I need it to be real. I need it to be permanent because those two years when you were pushing me away… those were probably two of the worst years of my life, and now I know we are soul bonded, so I _can’t_ lose you. I can’t have us getting into a relationship, having it end horribly, and ruining what we have. Because what we have is probably the most important connection with someone I have, other than my dad, and I… I just can't… Do you hear me? So, you better be serious about this.” Derek laughed and gently massaged the backs of Stiles’ hands with his thumbs until he loosened his grip and allowed Derek to lace their fingers together. “Can you do that, Derek? Can you promise me? No more of that ‘no strings attached’ bull shit?” 

“Did you know, you have this look that’s reserved just for me? It’s like an exasperated fondness that sparkles behind your eyes. And every time you look at me like that, you bring me back to reality, and I know, as long as I’m with you, I’m home. I’m in this, have been in this, always and forever and I never want to let a single moment with you pass. Stiles, with you, I want all the strings attached.”

With every passing second, Stiles features melted and Derek could feel the love radiating off of him. Slowly, he leaned forward, silently asking permission, and Stiles eagerly met him half way. Their lips met in a soft touch, both cautious of breaking whatever it was that was building between them. They left it tender and chaste, pulling away after only a few seconds. Stiles buried his smile into Derek’s neck, hugging him close and willing himself to believe it was all real. 

“What now?” Stiles asked in a muffled voice.

The feeling of Stiles’ lips moving against his skin and the warmth of his breath, sent a spark through Derek like he’d experienced only once before.

“I know you want to see the world, so let’s go get lost and live without a plan.”

“Yeah, that sounds pretty good,” Stiles agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, kudos and comments are much appreciated! (No, really, reading you comments is the best part of my day! Please, please, please comment!!!)

**Author's Note:**

> As always, every kudos and every comment is greatly appreciated. They give me life (even the negative ones)!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!


End file.
